Don't listen to the haters.
Fallout 3 is a unique RPG, I've never come across a combat system as great as this game's. For those blood n' guts lovers, the all- new combat system will allow you to target a certain part of your foe's body, take a few shots at it, and eventually send it flying off into an explosion of gore. This makes the action extremely satisfying and intelligent. Although, you also have the option to just shoot at your target without the targeting system.
The storyline.... It's very good, not great, in my opinion. It's kind of like an "I Am Legend" style, except there are still people walking around. Pretty much, the world's thrown into turmoil, death and destruction everywhere, after a series of massive bombings occur through a large- scale war. The survivors are safe inside these vaults, which protect them for the horrors of the outer world. You are one of these people. But, later on, your father ventures out of the vault, without any reason or explanation. Now your goal is to set out and find him. And through these adventures, many perilous creatures lie in wait, to prey on explorers like yourself. And, every choice you make affects the end result of the game, whether you're good- hearted or black- hearted. Although, there was a letdown in the end of the game. Bethesda kept bragging about hundreds of alternate endings, but there's only about 20. Even with the 20, the changes are so miniscule that you'll barely even notice them. I went thru all endings, and I was quite disappointed at their similarity. If you're pure evil, you'll oretty much get almost the same as the good ending.
Another annoyance in fallout 3 is the lack of money. It's quite hard to survive in this wasteland, as stimpaks are needed for almost every fight, and, starting off, it's hard to earn the money to buy them, or get a doctor to patch you up. When you advance more it'll be easier, but it's a hard start.
I also had problems with the levelling system. the max level is 20, and you have 15 points per level gained to up your stats, and 1 perk. Although I really needed to level up other stuff, I had to use my points to level the combat areas so I could survive the game more easily. I had to put most of my points towards those more than the stuff I wanted, like science and lockpicking.
The graphics in Fallout 3 are AMAZING, but, greatness comes with flaws. every single place you visit in the massive gameworld of Washington D.C. hints great game design. Although still, as I wandered the wasteland, there was a feeling of emptiness. I mean, the trailers show large, destroyed cities, but more than half of the game is just a dessert- type place. Another problem I encountered were the very rare glitches. These glitches, being as rare as they were, were still big. At one point a whole black plank looking thing (glitch) was attached to my gun. Not only couldn't I see well, when I fired, I automatically killed myself.
The characters in Fallout 3 are really great. Great voice acting, Liveliness in each character, and very realistic. You can interact with all the characters, and all of them have their on schedules and personalities, so it's fun to get to know them all, or kill them if they annoy you too much. Many of the characters you meet will offers quests to you, and there's a lot of variety in the quests. To top it off, there's TONS of quests! You can do them on your own time, none have to be rushed, none even have to be completed. Even the storlyine, you don't have to complete it. You might not even want to, you might want to explore the gameworld for hours on end, there's so much to do. But take it as a warning, when you complete the main storyline, the game DOES end, so save just before you complete it.
The V.A.T.S system also glitches a lot. Sometimes your gun is going thru your opponents head if you're close up and using V.A.T.S, and you might hit or miss, making the combat system inconsistent, which at times is a bit frustrating. But the satisfying aspect when you land a hit mostly makes up for this flaw.
All in all, Fallout 3 is a good buy. Only a few problems fit their way into this game. Two thumbs up, and definitely worth a rental, at the very least!
(Just a warning, this game ain't for the faint hearted, it's brutal on all levels).